Year 11 - Science
Evaluating the global use of vaccination
Defences against pathogens, the human immune system and vaccination
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit explores the body's defences and immune response against pathogens, disease prevention, and vaccines. It covers plant defence responses, and disease detection, and evaluates scientific applications, considering personal, social, economic, and environmental implications.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to evaluate the benefits and risks of vaccinations, and explain the role herd immunity plays in reducing the spread of disease.
Key Notes
- Vaccines have had a positive effect on public health (e.g. the eradication of smallpox).
- Vaccination is not risk free as it can have side effects, but the benefits outweigh the risks.
- New vaccines are trialled, and are only approved for use when the benefits of the vaccination outweigh the risks.
- It is necessary to vaccinate a high proportion of a population against a pathogen to provide herd immunity.
- Herd immunity helps protect those who can't or won't have the vaccination.
Vocabulary To Learn
- vaccination: The process of administering a vaccine to an individual to create immunity to a pathogen.
- vaccine: A formulation that contains an inactive pathogen, or parts of it.
- immunity: Immunity is established after the body is first exposed to a pathogen's antigens, and enables white blood cells to respond quickly to the antigen when the body is re-exposed to it.
- risk: A possible negative outcome.
- herd immunity: When a high proportion of the population have been vaccinated against a disease, the spread is reduced and unvaccinated individuals may be protected.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The MMR vaccination causes autism.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Vaccines have had a positive effect on public health (e.g. the eradication of smallpox). Vaccination is not risk free as it can have side effects, but the benefits outweigh the risks.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'vaccination'
The process of administering a vaccine to an individual to create immunity to a pathogen. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: The MMR vaccination causes autism. Correction: The study by Dr Wakefield is highly flawed, and has been discredited. Many subsequent studies have found no link between the MMR vaccination and autism. Measles is a highly infectious disease that can have devastating consequences.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Immunity and vaccination Study Guide
- Light microscopy: observing and identifying microorganisms Study Guide
- Non-specific defences of the human body against pathogens Study Guide
- Plant defences against disease Study Guide
- Plant defences, and identifying plant diseases Study Guide
- Responses of the human immune system to specific pathogens Study Guide
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